Cat and Mouse
by Proclaim Thy Warrior Soul
Summary: Steve wasn't meeting Chin for another hour yet so he had time for a run along the beach before the sun disappeared completely for the day. All he had to do was sneak past the snoozing kitten perched on the arm of the couch in the other room... He was a Navy SEAL. How difficult could it be?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Cat and Mouse

 **Author:** Proclaim Thy Warrior Soul

 **Rating:** K+

 **Disclaimer:** Nothing recognisable belongs to me. Except maybe the cat. Because the cat is cute :)

 **Summary:** Steve wasn't meeting Chin for another hour yet so he had plenty of time for a run along the beach before the sun disappeared completely for the day. All he had to do was sneak past the snoozing kitten perched on the arm of the couch in the other room... He was a Navy SEAL. How difficult could it be?

 **Notes:** Spoilers for season 5. Cute and fluffy and then not so much...

* * *

 **Cat and Mouse**

 **"A thing of beauty, strength, and grace**

 **lies behind that whiskered face." -Unknown**

 **Chapter One**

"Damn it, cat..." McGarrett grumbled as he tripped over yet another toy littering his once pristine floor. Kicking the offending item out of his immediate vicinity, ignoring the fact that he'd probably trip over it again at some point later in the day, the head of Five-O padded softly towards the kitchen.

Ever since the tiny ball of fluff had decided to make the SEAL's home its permanent one, Steve had discovered a newfound appreciation for the word 'patience'. Because, apparently, owning a cat included toys and kitty litter, screwed up balls of paper, and fur that literally ended up _everywhere_.

Not that he had anyone to blame for this predicament but himself. Well, there was always Danno, of course. Because between the two of them they'd somehow figured it'd be a great idea to introduce Grace to the latest addition to the McGarrett family.

 _Big mistake._

Now the furball owned literally every variation of cat toy ever made by man...and likely some invented by the miniature Williams herself, although the SEAL couldn't help but grin as he recalled Gracie's squeals of excitement whilst the playful kitten leapt for her long braid of hair and chased her all through the house. The shared look of amusement on his temperamental partner's face had permanently settled any doubts he had over keeping the feline.

Rifling quietly through a drawer of junk next to the sink, McGarrett fished out a tangled pair of headphones and checked the time on his watch. He wasn't meeting Chin for another hour yet so he had time for a run along the beach before the sun disappeared completely for the day. All he had to do was sneak past the snoozing kitten perched on the arm of the couch in the other room...

He was a Navy SEAL. How difficult could it be?

Slipping both feet into his unlaced sneakers, Steve worked on untangling the mess of wires as he headed back through to the living room, shoving the earbuds into place when a few moments later he'd solved the puzzle. Skimming through his Spotify playlist for a soundtrack to his impromptu workout, McGarrett patted his back pocket to confirm that he had ownership of his keys and headed for the door to the lanai as the intro to the first song assaulted his ears.

A quick glance at the snoring kitten brought an unexpected smile to the SEAL's face as a wave of emotion threatened to overwhelm him. Changing trajectory to head to the furball's side, Steve had to bite back a chuckle as one beady eye opened to take in his approach.

"Hey, monster. You're not supposed to wake up yet. I can't sneak out of the house if you're looking at me all cute and fluffy-like," he grinned, crouching down so he was at the kitten's level.

It was a peculiar feeling, being responsible for the life of something so delicate and small; definitely not something McGarrett had ever planned on committing himself to, that was for sure. But in the short few weeks since Jersey had barged headfirst into his life, Steve could honestly say it'd been one of the best decisions he'd ever made.

"Go back to sleep, little J. I won't be long," Steve promised as he ruffled the soft fur on the kitten's head and stood to leave.

Thinking it was a new game, Jersey's tiny paw shot out and snagged the wire to the headphones, yanking the buds from McGarrett's ears with ease.

It was the only thing that saved the SEAL's life.

Without the loud music to disguise it, the sound of shattering glass echoed noisily through the house. As the muzzle of a rifle forced its way through the new hole in his front door, McGarrett grabbed for the terrified kitten as the bullets started flying.

* * *

Author's Notes: Cliffhanger, d'oh!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Cat and Mouse

 **Author:** Proclaim Thy Warrior Soul

 **Rating:** K+

 **Disclaimer:** Nothing recognisable belongs to me. Except maybe the cat. Because the cat is cute :)

 **Summary:** Steve wasn't meeting Chin for another hour yet so he had plenty of time for a run along the beach before the sun disappeared completely for the day. All he had to do was sneak past the snoozing kitten perched on the arm of the couch in the other room... He was a Navy SEAL. How difficult could it be?

 **Notes:** Spoilers for season 5. Cute and fluffy and then not so much...

* * *

 **Cat and Mouse**

 **"** **People who love cats have some of the biggest hearts around."** \- Susan Easterly

 **Chapter Two**

"Okay, thanks Duke. I'll make sure to update the others. Yeah, you too. Stay safe."

Detective Williams scowled as he hung up the phone with a little more force than necessary, slouching further back into his seat as he ran a hand over his weary face. Duke's call wasn't good news, but wasn't that just the way the team's luck was running lately? He shouldn't really be surprised. "What's a guy have to do around this place for something to go right once in a while, huh?" he grumbled to his empty office.

Huffing out a deep sigh, the blond detective rose from his chair and straightened his tie. It was just about the end of his shift and, with a glance at his watch, he realised that Rachel would be arriving at any second with Grace in tow. It was their weekend together and he'd planned on taking his daughter out for a bite to eat seeing as the work week had been a long one and his apartment was lacking in anything nutritious enough to cater to a growing twelve year old's stomach. First, though, he had to call the others; let them know about Duke's warning.

Taking a moment to prod his tired brain into rebooting, Danny tried to remember where the rest of the team were at this particular moment in time.

Kono would still be at the Governor's office, making nice with a visiting senator, so he fired off a quick text to her cell, knowing she'd get the message soon enough. Grover, he knew, was out chasing down a lead with Jerry so he dialled the ex-SWAT leader's phone and waited patiently for the man to answer.

After the eighth ring Danny came to the conclusion that the man wasn't going to pick up. Rolling his eyes as an automated voice asked him to leave a message after the tone, he looked up as the door to his office was thrown open by none other than his beloved daughter, pigtails bouncing as she skipped into the room.

Rachel's head peered around the corner a moment later, an apologetic smile on her face as she saw Danny on the phone. The petite woman pointed at her watch and gave a quick wave, hugging Grace with one arm and kissing her on the top of the head before she made a quick retreat.

Danny made sure his message was short and to the point. "Hey, Lou. Listen, Duke called. The Chief broke his way outta jail. Call me when you get this message, okay? Alright, bye."

Tossing his cell onto the desk, Danny opened both arms and grinned as Grace threw herself at him. This was definitely the very best part of his day. "Hey, Monkey. You hungry?"

The miniature Williams nodded enthusiastically as she pulled away, straightening her hair with a grin. "But Danno, can we visit Uncle Steve first? I found a cool new toy that I'm sure Jersey doesn't have yet and I bought it with my pocket money so can we go and see him? Please?"

Danny laughed, pulling the forever-growing girl in for another hug. "I'm starting to think you like that cat more than me, babe." Never able to resist that beautiful smile for long, Danny nodded his agreement. "But sure, maybe we can drag Uncle Steve out for food too."

McGarrett had been extremely quiet the last few days, enough so that the rest of the team had started to show concern. Ever since the fallout from the shootout at the the barbershop, the SEAL had been keeping his distance from everyone around him, refusing to socialise after hours and making weak excuses about plans he had to take care of. While Danny only had a general idea of what'd been found in that Aaron kid's basement, he knew that Steve had seen the evidence firsthand and had reacted badly. Each time his friend showed up for work, the man looked like he'd had less and less sleep. When Steve had finally asked for a personal day, the team had maybe encouraged it a little too readily, but they all knew that he desperately needed it. Hopefully, Steve would return to work refreshed and ready to go.

The ringing of his cell phone startled the detective from his concerned thoughts. Ushering Grace out ahead of him, Danny grabbed his phone and answered without checking the caller ID, assuming it to be Grover returning his call. "Hey."

"Hey, brah." It was Chin. "Have you spoken to Steve today? I'm supposed to be heading over to his so we can go over some notes for Tuesday's hearing but my car's blown a tyre and I can't get through to his cell."

"He was next on my list to call after you, actually," Danny admitted as he locked the door to his office and guided Grace down the hallway. "Duke called to say Makoni's busted out of jail."

There was a pause as Chin let the words sink in. "Damn. Should we be worried, do you think?"

Danny considered the question, running a hand through his messy hair. "I think we just need to be aware that he's out there. I can't imagine his first port of call would be back here in Oahu but I'm not a psycho Congolese warlord, so what would I know?"

Chin snorted softly. "True. But he did threaten McGarrett."

"So what's new? Steve collects threats like he does issues of Guns & Ammo. Anyway, Grace and I are heading that way now so we'll let him know you're running a little late."

"Okay, thanks Danny. Be careful."

"Yeah, you too. Bye, Chin."

Hanging up on his friend, Danny grabbed Grace's hand and directed her towards the car, wondering how much longer he'd be able to partake in such a simple act before the twelve year old decided it was too babyish.

"Uncle Steve has plans with Chin tonight, Monkey, but we can still pop in to say hi to the cat if that's what you want?"

Grace agreed happily and forced her dad to walk a little faster in the direction of the car. "Come on, Danno. Let's go."

Danny capitulated with a warm grin, any sign of his earlier tiredness evaporating on the gentle evening breeze.

* * *

Author's Notes: So now we know who it is...


End file.
